Obituaries

Donald T. Gebhardt, Sr., 96 of Forks Twp., PA died Wednesday, June 1, 2022 at Above and Beyond in Allentown, PA. Born August 17, 1925 in Nazareth, PA he was the son of the late Thomas and Miriam (Paul) Gebhardt. He was a graduate of Wilson High School and served in the Navy during WWII. He received the American Theater Medal, Asiatic Pacific Medal, Victory Medal and Philippine Liberation Ribbon. Don was employed by Bethlehem Steel for 33 years before retiring and was a member of Arndts Lutheran Church, Forks Twp.

He is survived by his wife of 75 years, the former Dorothy Smith; his son: Donald Gebhardt, Jr. and his wife: Deborah of Palmer Twp., PA; granddaughters: Kirsten Kutza (husband John), Josalyn VanFleet (husband Patrick) and 4 great-grandchildren: Anthony and Jordan Kutza, Penelope and Paxton VanFleet.

Services are 11 AM Monday (June 6) in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton with a calling period from 10 to 11 AM. Interment with military honors will follow in Northampton Memorial Shrine.

Memorial contributions may be made to Arndts Lutheran Church, 1851 Arndt Road, Easton, PA 18040. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com

Douglas W. Powell, 95, of Wilson Borough passed away Monday, May 30, 2022 in Country Meadows, Bethlehem, PA. Born November 13, 1926 in Easton, PA, he was the son of the late Douglas W. Powell Sr. and Alma (Nicholas) Powell. He was married to Joyce Rymond Powell for 60 years before her passing in 2019. Doug graduated from Easton High School in 1944. His 44-year banking career included working at Easton National Bank, Phillipsburg Trust and Lafayette Trust Bank. Doug had a love of sports. He coached basketball for 20 years and also coached and played softball for 50 years in the Palmer Veterans League for the Easton Comets, and continued to play until the age of 75. He also enjoyed watching the Phillies, Eagles and doing crossword puzzles.

He is survived by his daughter, Janice Wolfinger and her husband, Dale; his son, Brian Powell and his wife, Susan; and grandchildren, Jake Yarnall and Cassandra Powell. His brother, John W. Powell died earlier.

Services will be held at noon on Thursday, June 2, 2022 in the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton. A visitation will be held from 11:00 am until service time on Thursday in the funeral home. Interment will be in Northampton Memorial Shrine.

The family wishes to thank the dedicated staff at Country Meadows Bethlehem and St. Luke’s Hospice for the care, compassion, and commitment to ensuring Doug’s comfort and peace during the last month of his lifelong journey. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. John’s Lutheran Church, 330 Ferry St., Easton, PA, 18042 or Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley, 1302 N. Sherman St., Allentown, PA, 18109. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Donna M. Holmes, 60, of Hecktown, died Friday, May 27, 2022 in her home. Born September 18, 1961 in Easton, she was the daughter of the late Harold Freeman, Jr. and Marguerite (Starkes) Freeman. She and her husband, Timothy J. Holmes were married 33 years. Donna worked at Hunterdon Developmental Center, Clinton, NJ.

Surviving with her husband, Timothy, are a sister Diane Wagner and two brothers, Ronald Freeman and Thomas Freeman. A brother, Richard Freeman died earlier.

Services will be private. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.

Michael E. Flory, 74 of Wilson Borough, PA died Wednesday, May 25, 2022 at New Eastwood Rehabilitation Center. Born June 21, 1947 in Easton, PA he was the son of the late George and Ruby (Umholtz) Flory. He was a 1965 graduate of Phillipsburg High School and graduate of the Warren County Vocational Technical Institute. Mike was employed by Brown-Daub from 1965 to 1988 as a Master Technician and then by the Northampton Community College as an Assistant Professor from 1988 to 2000. He was a member of Bethel Memorial Baptist Church, Palmer Twp.

Mike is survived by his wife of 54 years, the former Florence Kutzler; 2 children: Michelle Parent (husband Steve) of Bethlehem, PA and Mark Flory (wife Jennifer) of Keller, TX; and 5 grandchildren: Josh, Emily, Sabrina, Jase and Paige.

Services are 11 AM Wednesday (June 1) in Bethel Memorial Baptist Church, 715 Chestnut Lane, Easton, PA with visitation from 10 to 11 AM. Interment is in Northampton Memorial Shrine, Palmer. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Bethel Memorial Baptist Church, 715 Chestnut Lane, Easton, PA 18045. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com

Mark P. Fifield, 57, of Palmer Township, PA died Wednesday, May 25, 2022 after a long illness. Born in Easton, PA he was a son of Nancy Fifield of Palmer Twp. and the late William Fifield. He graduated from Easton High School and the Allentown Business School. After working for many years at Mother’s Bar & Grille in Easton and Fat Jack’s in Palmer Township, Mark became a network administrator for Dijica, Ajilon, Compucon, and Advanced Innovative Marketing.

Mark was an avid sports fan. Every year he hoped that the Pittsburgh Pirates would finally return to their glory years of 1979 and 1992. There is a brick with his name at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. He was also a big Seattle Seahawks fan which provided him much more recent enjoyment than the Pirates did. Mark loved sci-fi movies and television. He looked forward to the release of Star Wars and other sci-fi movies so he could take his sons to see them on the opening weekend. He also loved video games, initially playing them himself (he still owns the original Atari equipment) but later he enjoyed introducing his sons to gaming.

Mark is survived his mother: Nancy; his children: Cayden Wisner of Allentown, PA, Sam Fifield of Savannah, GA, and Kobe Wisner of Savannah, GA; his brother: Scott Fifield of Greenbelt, MD; and his ex-wife and caregiver: Terri Wisner of Statesboro, GA.

A Celebration of Mark’s life will be held 2:30 PM Friday, June 3 at the Ashton Funeral Home, 1337 Northampton St., Easton with a calling period from 2:00-2:30 PM.   In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Gift of Life Family House (giftoflifefamilyhouse.org) which provides a home away from home for transplant families. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com

Janet S. “Jan” Panto, 71, of Easton, PA died Monday, May 23, 2022 after a courageous battle with cancer. Born in Miami Beach, FL she was a daughter of the late Norman and Myriel Seidel. Jan was a teacher at the Easton Area Schools for 31 years before retiring. She is survived by her husband of 32 years, Joe Panto; her sister, Judy Waldman; her 5 kitties; and her nieces and nephews.

Services are private. Memorial contributions may be made to any cat rescue or the American Cancer Society. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com

John W. “Bud” Wilson, Jr., 93, of Easton, died Friday, May 20, 2022 in Saucon Valley Manor, Hellertown. Born April 14, 1929 in Westfield, NJ, he was the son of the late John W. and Alma (Voss) Wilson. His wife, Nancy (Streeter) Wilson died last year. He was a graduate of Westfield High School where he was a star football player. He then graduated from Lafayette College, served in the Army during the Korean War, and worked at Ennis Business Forms until retiring. John was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Easton where he was an Elder. He served on the Board of Directors of Spring Garden Children’s Center and was a volunteer for Meals on Wheels for thirty years.

He is survived by his children, Michael Wilson, Timothy Wilson, Melinda Reighard, and Amy Hilliard; a sister, Marilyn Priesing; and two granddaughters, Erica and Adrienne Reighard. He was predeceased by a son Jeffrey Wilson and a brother, George Wilson.

Graveside services will be held 11:00 am, Friday, June 3, 2022 at the Easton Cemetery Chapel, N. 7th St., Easton, with an opportunity to greet the family prior to the service. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 333 Spring Garden St., Easton, PA 18042. Offer online condolences at www.AshtonFuneralHome.com.